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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Plus Whitney and Donna Summer passed away. Winter sucks (except for Kylie's #K25 celebrations which began on Jan 25 and went on every month, unveiling lovely gems along the way. See them all here).

March was something else. I was lucky enough to embark on a 20-date tour of France, Belgium and Switzerland with Charlie Winston, an artist I'd been working with for a few months. What happens on tour stays on tour as they say, but boy, what an amazing experience.

Thank you Charlie & team!

March was pretty busy as Studio Paradise (the band I've been managing for a year and a half now) were getting ready to release their debut EP and perform their biggest headlining show yet. Oh, and casually they signed to one of France's biggest tour promoters TS3. A good way to begin things... Here's the EP if you missed it:

Oh April. What can you do to take a well-earned break after an intense month on tour? Going to Australia is one good thing to do. Skydiving isn't bad either. So after 24 hours on a plane, I touched down in Oz, for what have been the most amazing weeks of the year for me, and a pretty cool way to spend my birthday.

May: new job! New artists to work with (hello Ariane Moffatt, what a great discovery!) and lots of fun.

July
MDMA! MDNA! MDMA! MDNA! MDMA! MDNA!
I think we all agree on this: MDNA was a disappointing album (Gang Bang and I'm Addicted alone made it worthy though). But the tour was a total slap in the face of haters, re-inventing the concept of a Madonna show. I loved it from the first to the last second and wrote about it (in French) here to convince you.

August
Oh, the sweetness of Paris in the Summer. And Lyon. And Corsica. And Brussels. Especially Corsica.

Closing the festival season at Paris' biggest: Rock en Seine. Few good concerts (Mike Snow, Bloc Party, Beach House, Foster The People), but a great way to step back into work, with friends and far, far too much booze.

I almost forgot. August was also the month the most important cultural event of the year of all times took place in London.
As the Olympic committee is a little bitch that kills the fun out of everything, you'll have to watch the video here. (Spice Girls inside).

Try an top that, September!

OK, good try Coldplay. One of the most memorable live events I've ever attended, equally because of the atmosphere, the timeless songs, the breathtaking lights, the presence of Rihanna, the opening by Marina And The Diamonds (eternal love), the friend there with me.

October.

This month will only be remembered as the one during which Girls Aloud announced their comeback (and I bought tickets to see them at the O2 Arena in March).

November sucks like a new Rihanna album. Her 777 Tour thing was a cool concept though. The Paris show was shorter than planned but how can you be mad at someone who sings Umbrella, Diamonds and We Found Love IN A ROW?????

Let's forget about Rihaslut and focus on a song I totally forgot to add to my top 50 list. Aluna George's Your Drums, Your Love is one of the 20 best songs of 2012. Just brilliant.

November sucks, EXCEPT WHEN YOU START THE MONTH ATTENDING A ROBYN CONCERT!!!!!!! Robyn is the Madonna of our time, everybody knows that, and her sold-out headline show at London's Brixton Academy was the proof she is so ahead of the competition that all other female solo popstars should stop trying. Perfect setlist, incredible energy, huge emotion, crazy dancing. A perfect concert that just made me eager to hear new songs. Robyn, I love you.

No Doubt played their only show in support of their floptastic yet quite enjoyable new album Push & Shove in Paris in early November. I was lucky enough to attend. Gwen Stefani is major. So was my hangover the next day. I thank you not HP & Polydor!

December

Two words: MS MR. Most exciting new band in 2012, perfect EP (Candy Bar Creep Show), promising (if perfectible) stage presence. These guys have everything. What WE don't have and can't wait to possess is their debut album, due out in May. In the meantime, please have a listen to the EP : https://soundcloud.com/msmrsounds

Two other words: Ticky Ticky. an amazing song by french electro-pop songstress Owlle. My pick for 2013, given the quality of her debut EP and that of her live show. Please don't waste any more time and get into the Owll-y groove.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

2012 has been a pretty good year for all things pop, hasn't it? Here are the 50 songs I thought were better than the others these past twelve months. 2012: year of the Aloud!

So without further ado here are my top 50 songs of 2012. You can listen to them while you read thanks to a handy SPOTIFY PLAYLIST. When the songs aren't available on there, I provided you with a link ("LISTEN").

#1 Girls Aloud - Every Now And Then

Perfection from Xenomania served on a silver plate for Nuhdeen and co. The Irish beauty shines on here and takes this epic slice of emotional electro pop to the next level. AND THIS KEY CHANGE alone made 2012 worthy.

Other tracks worthy of your attention: On the Metro (avoid Beautiful Cause You Love Me at all cost!)

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

For there will never be a pop phenomenon as amazing as the Spice Girls, I encourage you to watch this very good documentary that premiered on Christmas Eve on UK TV. Built around the creation of the musical "Viva Forever" that premiered a few weeks ago in London, it shows vintage images of the early Spice Girls days, as well as new interviews of the girls recalling their years as Ginger, Scary, Baby, Sporty and Posh.

It's a must-watch for every Spice Girls fans, and quite frankly for others too.